6 Benefits of Learning Spanish for Kids

Our brains are like computers with countless programs that help us navigate the various aspects of life through all ages. However, just like computers, as they age, they can become less efficient when it comes to retaining new things. Although learning a second language can be done at any age, this is one reason why children are best suited for it. 

When it comes to learning Spanish, here are a few additional reasons why your child will benefit from learning a second language.

Strengthen Muscles

Not body muscles but the muscle we know as the brain. And - as with any muscle - the more we use it, the stronger it gets. Specifically, the frontal lobe of the brain is where the Broca and Wernicke areas are. 

The Broca region of the frontal lobe is commonly understood as the part of the brain responsible for the movement aspects of speech such as the palate, tongue, and mouth. The Wernicke region assists in comprehension of new languages and sounds, among other things.

Together, these two regions of the frontal lobe are vitally important to learning a second language and the sooner we begin exercising these (or any parts) of the brain, the stronger they will be.

Additionally, children of younger ages (before age six) are able to learn new languages quicker than older individuals. There are a number of reasons for this.

They don't fear mistakes

Children are less likely to be embarrassed when they make a mistake while learning than adults are. They're not as self-critical and are able to learn from these mistakes rather than demean themselves or give up.

They are not linguistically programmed

In the Japanese language, there is no "L" sound and this is why many native Japanese speakers are not able to pronounce it (they pronounce "L" as "R"). Similarly, studies show that young Japanese Americans were able to develop the skills to pronounce the "L" sound with the use of immersion while older subjects were not. Their brains were hard-wired to the point where they could not unlearn what they had been taught.

They retain things faster

Babies and children's brains form neural and synaptic connections much quicker and UNICEF experts report this not only helps them with learning as children, but helps to "form the basis of a person's lifelong capacity to learn, adapt to change, have resilience in case of unexpected circumstances, as well physical and mental health."

Cultural Opportunities

The right teaching methods can help children not only learn Spanish but also help them understand cultures. In fact, research shows that understanding a different culture augments the teaching of the language. With Spanish-speaking communities all over the world, having the ability to speak the language affords students the opportunity to experience the Spanish culture right in their own communities without concern over miscommunication or misunderstanding.

It also allows them the opportunity to make friends with children from Spanish-speaking families who may not otherwise be able to connect with other children or students.

Travel Opportunities

There are 20 nations with Spanish as the official language (and Puerto Rico) but your child doesn't need to go to Argentina or Columbia to find it beneficial to speak the language. Spanish is the second most popular language in the world, spoken by more than 570 million people and experts suggest the number of Spanish speakers in the U.S. will surpass the number that speak it in Spain!

Wherever your child goes, they will have the comfort of knowing they can speak the language of where they are.

Boosts Confidence

Everyone has experienced at least one moment when they felt they did not fit in. Whether in the boardroom, at the office, with the in-laws, or at school. These experiences can wreak havoc on our confidence levels but when we understand what is needed and/or expected, we are better able to feel confident that we can handle the situation.

The same can be said for children who are attending school or activities with Spanish-speaking peers. Fitting in at school is often a challenge. When a child can merge themselves into a crowd of foreign language speakers and be able to speak their language, this not only boosts their confidence because they can relate to them, but also because others can see their capabilities.

Another bonus? The Spanish-speaking peers can learn from your child and your child can learn more from them.

Career Advantages

It's no secret that having a resume stuffed with additional training and certifications on top of your specialty can boost you to the top of applicants but experts say that being able to put "bilingual" on your resume has multiple benefits. In fact, companies who demand bilingual workers has doubled in the past five years and some of today's largest employers such as Bank of America, H&R Block, and Humana are among them.

Additionally, today's workforce is different than those in the past. Remote work is increasing allowing individuals to work from anywhere in the world for anyone in the world - including Spanish-speaking companies. In the global workforce, over half of companies report they are using flexible workers and that "dynamic" teams (ie, teams made up of different cultures) are becoming the norm and experts predict this trend will continue to increase.

What this means is bilingual children who speak Spanish and grow up to go into the global workforce, will have far more opportunities to work for companies overseas without ever having to leave their homes.

Increases Ability to Learn More Languages

Many Spanish words have similarities to other languages, including - but not limited to - English and Italian because of their Latin roots. For example, the word "Love" is rooted in the Latin word "amare." In Spanish, it is "Amo" and in Italian it is "Amore" and in French, it's "Amour."

Learning Spanish is a start to learning many Latin commonalities the language has with other languages so that even if they don't know the full language of Italian, they might be able to gleen a little bit just based on the similarities with Spanish.

Additionally, researchers have found that students who learned a first language were better able to learn third and even fourth languages. If being bilingual looks good on a resume, imagine the career benefits of being trilingual or quadrilingual.

We believe in the many benefits that come from learning a second language and we believe the sooner the better. We invite you to contact us today to find out more about our specialized language training program.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

How Does Learning a Language Change Your Child's Brain?

It is truly never too early to start teaching your child a second language--in fact, the earlier she's introduced to another language, the easier it is to master. The way a child's brain develops makes language learning one of the earliest skills they can master--before they can crawl, hold a toy, or speak, they can hear--and their brains can process and retain the sounds and words they're exposed to. 

Pediatric Brain Development

The human brain is the only organ that is 80% developed by the age of two--and all the neurons your child will ever have are already present by then--about 100 billion. The synapses that connect the neurons have not developed; there are about 2500 per neuron at birth, and 15,000 by the time a child is three. As your child grows, the connectors continue to expand and the neurons and neurotransmitters do their magic until the brain is fully mature--in the early twenties.

Children have "windows of opportunity" in brain development; sensitive times when specific kinds of learning happen. There's a reason to expect your child's first words at 8 or 9 months, and their first steps around a year--these are the times the circuits wiring the brain for speech and balance go into overdrive. Babies have fuzzy vision when they are born; it's not until they're between 8 and 16 weeks that the synapses that control sight start to connect, and your baby responds to visual cues for the first time. 

Neurologists believe that we are most receptive to learning a language during the first ten years. The brain starts to build the neural network it needs when a child hears the same sounds repeated, and as she learns words and sounds, the neural network explodes. She picks up on household conversations, music, stories, and any sounds she hears, and thus learns her native language. 

The Right Time To Introduce A Second Language

There is no "right time" to start teaching a second language--experts in pediatric neurology only agree that by the late teens, a child's ability to become truly fluent in other languages decreases. If you live in a bilingual household, you've noticed how effortlessly your children have picked up both languages--so it's never too early to begin teaching a second--or third--language. 

The above-mentioned windows of opportunity for learning certainly apply to languages. If you haven't started another language by his first birthday, wait until he's about two and a half--when he's gotten a solid grasp of his native language, and has a large vocabulary. Beyond toddlerhood, any time is fine to start teaching a second language.

What Are The Benefits Of A Second Language?

Some parents wonder why they should teach their children to be bilingual? Are there any real benefits? The answer is a most emphatic Yes. Children who know multiple languages exhibit the following characteristics.

• Improved mental acuity

• More imaginative and creative thinkers, better understanding of abstract concepts

• Better understanding of the native language

• Awareness of more than one point of view in a given situation, see a variety of perspectives

• Improved ear for listening, and sensitivity to language

• Improved social skills and ability to understand nuance

Neuroplasticity And Second Languages

Neuroplasticity has become a buzzword of late in brain research circles, and the consensus is that it is a real phenomenon, one that is advantageous for future neural flexibility. 

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to create new connections and pathways and change the wiring of the circuits. There are two kinds of neuroplasticity, structural and functional. Structural neuroplasticity is a change in the overall strength of the neurons or synapses, regardless of whether the connections grow stronger or weaker--a change in the actual structure of the brain. Functional neuroplasticity refers to permanent changes in synapses due to development and learning. 

Neuroplasticity in children is more defined, with four distinct types. 

• Adaptive--brain changes that occur when a special skill is learned and the brain adapts to that skill

• Impaired--changes due to acquired disorders or genetics

• Excessive--rewiring of the brain that results in new, maladaptive pathways that can cause disorders or disabilities

• Plasticity For Injury--pathway develop that make injury more likely

These four traits are more pronounced in young children, allowing them to recover more quickly from injury or illness. For educational purposes, the adaptive neuroplasticity is relevant; learning a new language expands the pathways and neurons in the brain. One fascinating thing about neurons is that of the 100 billion a child is born with, the "use it or lose it" philosophy applies--any of the trillions of neurons in the brain that aren't connected eventually die off. Learning new things that force new synapse connections keeps those neurons active in the brain's circuitry--structural neuroplasticity.

Cultural Awareness

Learning a second or third language doesn't happen in a vacuum, especially with children. So much of their instruction is interactive, they learn about native cultures and traditions while they are learning the language itself. Knowledge of other cultures helps children understand more social nuance and non-verbal cues, highly desirable traits in a digital world where so much communication is digital.

Being bilingual also contributes to what the French psychologist Jean Piaget called "decentering"--becoming less self-centered and ego-driven, and more empathetic to others. This is the manifestation of the ability to see a range of perspectives for a given situation, which is a lot of adult-speak for saying that bilingual children tend to be more mature than their monolingual peers. 

Executive Function And Cognitive Ability

Bilingual children also have better executive function--they have highly developed communication skills that allow them to reason their way through complex problems and ideas, and then expressing their thoughts in a clear manner. Strong executive function will come in handy throughout their academic and professional careers. Cognitive flexibility is also more pronounced when children know a second language--they can better filter through unnecessary information and target the task at hand. 

Looking ahead, bilingualism and neuroplasticity are thought to be two ways to deter memory loss and even Alzheimer's disease in adults. 

Learning a second or third language does nothing but benefit children, and it's never too early to get started. At Little Pim, we use a natural immersion teaching method for our young pupils, contact us today to learn more about our language programs. 

Sources:

https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/4356e/

https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/neuroplasticity/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989000/

https://www.muzzybbc.com/bilingual-benefits-for-kids

Photo by Colin Maynard on Unsplash

Spanish for Kids: How Grocery Shopping Helps Strengthen Their Spanish Skills

Grocery shopping with your children is sometimes tough simply because there is so much to ask about and question in a shop so full of items! One way to make the grocery shopping trip fun for your child while also teaching them a valuable skill is to use the store as an object lesson for learning Spanish words. Children learn very quickly but usually appreciate concrete items they can see and touch, so the grocery store and food preparation time can be wonderful opportunities for learning.

Making the Shopping List

If you have a child who is learning to read and write, have them help you with making the shopping list for the week in both English and Spanish. If they are not writing any letters yet, you'll still begin their curiosity about language learning if you let them look on as you write, watching you form letters with a pen. If they are children who love getting up and looking around the pantry and the fridge, have them survey the cabinets and cupboards and ask, "what are we missing? What do we need more of?" Each time your child identifies a needed ingredient, translate the word into Spanish and have them try saying it one time, or even multiple times.

Inside the Store

You can visit a traditional grocery store, since many have an aisle with Latin American specialty products that have Spanish on the product packages, or you can choose a local specialty store that focuses on Mexican or another Latin American country's products. Have your child remember or read the items on the list and look around for them. Have them say the names of the different products as they are looking for the products and as they put them into the cart or basket. Ask them questions about the different products as you shop - it may seem like shopping takes longer this way, but with a little preparation, this kind of shopping actually creates more engagement with your child which means they are less likely to get bored and get into mischief. 

• In the produce section, have children practice Spanish colors with "the green cucumber" (el pepino verde), teaching the basics of article use and adjective use from the start. Don't worry if they see it all as one jumbled word at first - small children are amazing at learning auditorily and they may have an easier time remembering than you think.

• In sections where you want to comparison shop, like choosing a box of crackers from 20 different varieties, you can introduce Spanish numbers: "tres" for three, or "dos" for two, and see if they can figure out which one is less expensive (menos caro)!

• Little games, like playing "I Spy" in Spanish can keep small ones entertained when you have a long walk to the next section or need to backtrack. In Spanish, there is a version you can use called "Veo Veo: the exchange goes like this:

  • Veo veo (I see, I see)

  • Response: ¿Qué ves? (What do you see?)

  • Una cosita (A little thing)

  • ¿Qué cosita? (What thing?)

  • Empieza con la "A" (It begins with the letter A)

  • Then the child begins guessing; clearly, children who know their alphabet well will do best in this game.

Putting Groceries Away

Repetition is the key to growing one's vocabulary in Spanish, and luckily, a perfect repetition opportunity exists with groceries, since they need to be put away. Have your child take out groceries, mention how they feel - cold, dry, etc. - and remind them of those words in Spanish. See if they remember what the item is called or if they can sound out the Spanish writing on the package. As they put the items away, you can introduce more words: refrigerator, cabinet, kitchen, and more. Clearly, if you and your child are full-up on Spanish words for the day, that's fine! Grocery shopping happens often in most families, which means that each grocery trip is an opportunity to reinforce past words and encourage the next ones!

Cooking With Kids and Spanish

Children love feeling skilled and independent, and the kitchen is a great place to begin giving children the opportunity to help around the house and feel proud of the food they create. Let them look through recipe cards with you or through parent-approved recipe boards on Pinterest to help you select a recipe that fits the ingredients you have. Many fun words will come up, from apron to whisk, as you assemble the needed ingredients and begin to practice the actions needed for preparing food. You can combine Spanish with kitchen safety, reminding your child that the tasks involving knives or extreme heat, for instance, are for the parents. Your child can practice writing the letters of the Spanish name for the food you create and make a label for the dish before it is served to the family. Once again, the ingredients in your dish will be another reminder of the words your child has learned: you'll be amazed how this simple 4-step repetition exercise will teach your child so quickly!

Many children's books exist that include information about food; look for Spanish language picture books to read together that will help to inspire your child to come up with the next recipe for cooking. Spanish-language children's television programming can also provide a source of excitement to get your child interested in groceries, food, and cooking with you. This can be a good way to ease into cooking together if your child tends to be a picky eater, since many children take much more ownership over meals they come up with themselves and become slightly more adventurous eaters in the process.

The process of grocery shopping with children can seem tough when they get the wiggles or decide to run around the store, but engaging them with a lesson in Spanish can help them to feel focused and engaged. With a little prep ahead of time, grocery shopping can be the educational highlight of your week.

Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash

Why Should My Child Learn a Foreign Language?

There are numerous benefits of learning a second language early in life. Children who are consistently exposed from a very young age to the sounds of a foreign language are more likely to achieve native or near-native fluency in adulthood and have a much easier time learning other languages later in life. Research shows that these children also tend to have stronger verbal, cognitive and analytical skills – giving them a head start in school.

Simply put, learning a second language boosts brain power, even if the child does not achieve total fluency.

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Foreign Language Learning in the U.S. versus Europe

This past week, data from the Pew Research Center highlights the discrepancy between language learning in the United States compared to that in Europe. An average of 92% of the European population is taught a foreign language at a young age, compared to only 20% in America. The reasons for this may be multi-faceted, including: 

1. English is frequently spoken throughout the world as compared to most of the European languages. 

English is described as the language of globalization. There is not as much pressure for American students to have to learn a foreign language if in many places English is regularly spoken. This is in contrast to other parts of the world, where one can very often expect to be greeted in a different language in a neighboring country. Even within a single European country itself, there may be more than one language as a country's official language. In Europe, it is common to study even more than one foreign language, with this being required in school for at least a year in over 20 European countries.

2. There's no uniform standard for foreign language acquisition in schools in the U.S.

National standards for test-taking in Europe incorporate the importance of foreign language acquisition. On the other hand, no such national standard exists in the U.S., where requirements are generally set at the state or district level. In the United States, the rates of foreign language study vary to as low as single-digit percentiles in some states. Even the higher percentages of states mandating foreign language study lag behind the countries with the lowest percentages in Europe.  

3. Timeframe for learning a foreign language in Europe versus the U.S. is generally different.

In Europe, students often begin studying their first foreign language in school between the ages of 6 and 9, in contrast to the United States where foreign language is typically not taught until at least Middle School or High School. Multiple studies have shown that language acquisition is overall easier the younger one is.

Many prominent voices stress the importance of foreign language acquisition. Memoirist Eva Hoffman described loss of multilingualism as "the loss of a living connection". Studies increasingly display the importance of  "cultural intelligence" in our increasingly globalized society. As the Livni article summarizes for the importance of learning another language:

“It’s a window on to a new worldview, a way to understand how our fellow humans think.”

— Ephrat Livni

As parents, probably one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the gift of being able to communicate in a second language. Why not give your children a subscription to the #1 learning program for foreign language for kids, Little Pim? Subscription plans are available for a single language as well as the option to access all 12 of our included languages. Experience the wonders of a gift that can last a lifetime.

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Sources: Devlin, Kat. Most European students are learning a foreign language in school while Americans lag. Available at: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/06/most-european-students-are-learning-a-foreign-language-in-school-while-americans-lag/: Accessed 08/13/18.

Livni, Ephrat. Only 20% of US kids study a language in school—compared to 92% in Europe. Available at: https://qz.com/1350601/foreign-languages-are-studied-by-just-20-of-kids-in-the-us/: Accessed 08/13/18.

By Alexis Dallara-Marsh

The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain | TED-Ed

It's amazing how today's modern research and brain imaging technology shows how multilingualism actually strengthens the brain. In an article published by Mindshift accompanied by the video below by Lisa LaBracio for Ted-Ed, we learn that people who speak more than one language actually have a higher density of gray matter that contains most of the brains neurons and synapses.

The study also compares the differences between learning a new language as a child vs. adult. 

“Children use both hemispheres of the brain to acquire language, which means they often grasp the emotional implications of language more deeply. ”

— Mindshift

Scientists hypothesize that adults tend to acquire a new language using their left brain, so they approach problems in a more rational, detached way. The benefits of learning a new language are endless and it's indeed refreshing to be reminded that we are starting our kids out with an advantage by teaching them a new language at a young age. To learn more about this subject, check out the video below:

[Infographic] Are Bilingual Kids Are Smarter Knowing Two Languages?

Infographic shared from our friends at BilingualKidsSpot.

We recently shared this infographic by BilingualKidsSpot on our Facebook page and loved it so much that we thought we'd share it on our website's blog. As parents, aunts, uncles, and more, we’re genuine believers in the importance of learning a foreign language at an early age.

Growing up in a multilingual household, I experienced first-hand the benefits of multilingual exposure at an early age, learning English, Gujarati, and Spanish simultaneously. When I joined the Little Pim team, I quickly grew passionate about educating new parents and early education teachers about the many benefits of raising bilingual and multilingual children. 

Our founder, Julia Pimsleur, inspired by her own bilingual childhood, created Little Pim for her children to have the same opportunity to learn a foreign language. Little Pim is the first comprehensive at-home program that can be effectively used by parents and teachers even if they don't speak a foreign language.

We love seeing the benefits of bilingualism shared across the web as it's our mission to spark inspiration, remove obstacles and provide encouragement and support to make learning a second language easy and enjoyable for kids. We hope you're inspired to introduce your child to a new language and if you need help along the way, please feel free to contact us! 

Benefits of Raising Bilingual Children on Fox 5

Recently on Fox 5 NY, the International Academy of New York discussed the benefits of raising bilingual children, sharing that their students spend around 40% of their week functioning in either Mandarin or Spanish. Research shows that some of the benefits of raising bilingual children include:

• Children are much more focused and less distracted
• They are more able to switch tasks spontaneously
• They have more flexible and nimble brains
• By middle school, bilingual kids typically outperform their peers in both math and verbal standardized tests

The interview also explains that human contact is important when teaching children a new language. Singing, reading, and talking with your children in the new language and taking children to cultural events also help encourage language learning. At Little Pim, we believe introducing your child to a new language at an early age can give your child many advantages. The best time to learn a language is under the age of 6. Don't miss the window of opportunity when it's easy for them to learn. Invest in their future…A little language goes a long way.

The Edge of Extinction

What do snow leopards, African wild dogs, black rhinos, and the Arikara language of the North Dakotan indigenous people have in common? They are all endangered. Just as species’ extinctions threaten the food chain and thereby the ecosystem, language extinctions hurt cultural diversity and thereby our society. To best understand the harsh reality of language extinction, we should investigate some statistics. While differentiating between unique languages and dialects, or just variations of the same language, is very difficult, researchers agree there are between 5,000-7,000+ languages alive today. Studies project that up to 50% of these languages will die out by the end of the century. Some even say the figure is higher at 80%, That is one language dying every few months! This slow and steady leak of linguistic and cultural diversity must be plugged for the sake of our children gaining the exposure to different thoughts and ways of life- exposure that stimulates appreciation and innovation. Admittedly, we, here at Little Pim, do not teach endangered languages, nor have we discussed them in prior blogs. We do, however, always hope to impart that a language is:

• Powerful in the classroom, in the workplace, and on the street
• Empowering in its ability to help cultivate creativity, cultural awareness, problem-solving skills, and pride in one’s roots
• Effectively important to personal and societal growth

In spreading this message in the past (as we will continue to do in the future), we hopefully indirectly made the case for the preservation of dying languages. Additionally, in teaching what are currently actively used languages, we aim to prevent their downfall into the endangered category one day. Yet, today, in this article, we will take a firmer stand for endangered languages, giving them a voice that might otherwise soon be taken away. It is with this voice that endangered languages might return from the edge of extinction.

It is with power in numbers that we can spread the word and reach someone in a position to change an endangered language’s course, so share this if you like the rest of the article. I will explain how we classify levels of endangerment, expound on why you and your family should care, and share what YOU can do to create a better future in which we maintain cultural diversity and awareness.

How do we know when a language is dead?

There are two main measurements of a language’s vitality, the number of speakers and the number of avenues of use.

Number of Speakers

Many languages can be said to have few speakers, but the word “few” is loose and open to interpretation. Determining the exact number of speakers of a language, however, allows linguists to be specific in distinguishing between levels of endangerment. Arikara, which you may recall is in our backyard in North Dakota, is a critically endangered language, with only 3 speakers still alive while the Cherokee language spoken in Oklahoma is classified as a vulnerable language, with only 1,000 speakers.

Number of Functions

The number of functions a language takes on, whether that be in prayer, in scripture, in school, in ceremonies, etc. can quantitatively represent a language’s vitality, because the more sectors of life the language is involved in, the more spoken it must be, and the more it veers away from the edge of extinction.

Some other factors linguists consider with regards to a language’s vitality are the age range of speakers, the number of speakers adopting a second language, the population size of the ethnic group the language is connected to, and the rate of migration into and out of the epicenter of the language.

Why do we care?

In history, conquered civilizations have had to adopt the language of their conqueror in order to fit into their social structure and economy. This is the case because language is so integral to a culture. From writing literature, carrying out rituals and practicing religion to voting in elections, all the human interactions associated with a culture involve written or spoken word. Effectively when a language dies, the culture associated with it dwindles away as well. If 50%-90% of languages die within the century, 50%-90% of existing cultures will likely die as well.

Many of these cultures that will die out only possess oral histories, so we will lose out on the knowledge they have gained from years and years of experience. Even if some of the cultures whose languages die have been documented, without active speakers, their thoughts and practices will likely be left behind in favor of the ones possessed by the dominant cultures and languages. Accordingly, our future society will lack in a diversity of thought and practice due to a lack of cultural diversity. Not only do we lose diversity of culture and thereby thought when languages die, but also when people conform to speaking one language, as is the case with English in the business world. If we continue along this path, we will become a monolingual, culturally homogenous society. In such a society, people might communicate efficiently because they speak the same language, but creativity would be strangled and progress slowed.

What can we do about it?

To prevent the fate of becoming a uniform society, we must recognize that cultural exchange is a two-way street. People speaking endangered languages are learning other languages to be able to interact with members of their extended community. While it may be hard for us to learn endangered languages, we can educate ourselves on which ones are endangered and why, learn about the cultures the endangered languages are from, and encourage their preservation. For example, the Arikara people were originally a semi-nomadic community that expertly harvested corn and tobacco. This mastery of the land gave way to power over other groups living in the plains until smallpox hit. Would this knowledge of the land past on from generation to generation in their language be lost in translation if the language died? Time will unfortunately tell.

Moreover, to avoid one major language from pushing out the others in the future, English-speaking people could learn other languages to communicate with non-English-speaking people, tapping into a whole wealth of knowledge they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. We cannot become complacent just because English is the “language of business.” Little Pim can open your child’s eyes to these other languages and vibrant cultures in the click of a button… literally. Check out our new iOS app!

Live in a Spanish-speaking community? Try our Spanish for Kids program.

Want to know more than the words for French foods on the bistro menu? Try our French for Kids program.

Works Cited:

https://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/what-endangered-language

https://www.ethnologue.com/endangered-languages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_endangered_languages_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arikara

Featured Photo by Mark Rasmuson on Unsplash

Code or Let Language Learning Programs Implode?

“He who knows no foreign languages knows nothing of his own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Whether coding courses should be offered as an alternative to foreign language classes in highs schools’ core curricula is the subject of great debate among legislators. To make my position undoubtedly clear early on in this post, I urge our leaders to vote against a bill that allows coding to substitute foreign language learning. As an intern at a foreign language learning company, my bias is evident. However, I will present irrefutable support to my position on the matter to show you I don’t speak out of self-interest but rather popular interest.

Before I delve into why I vehemently disagree with the proposed course of action, I must qualify that I understand the motives behind the bill. With our president using Twitter as his own media outlet, Facebook allowing cute images of puppies and simultaneously devastating snapshots of war and terrorism to reach millions in seconds, and posting videos to YouTube becoming a career path, I do concur that our world grows ever more dependent on technology. I also understand that this dependency on technology implies a demand in the global economy for individuals educated in engineering and computer science. With only 4% of people graduating with a bachelor’s degree in engineering in the US, compared to 31% in China, for example, it logically follows that other global superpowers are fulfilling this demand in the job market. To become more competitive in the job market and contribute to technology-related fields of the global economy, US citizens must be better educated in the associated areas of study. For these reasons, I understand the desire to integrate coding into the core curriculum.

While I recognize the need for coding classes, I do not understand how they can be viewed pedagogically as comparable to foreign language classes and therefore be offered in lieu of them.  Java and C++ are languages in that a combination of good diction and syntax allow for expression. However, these coding languages

• Only consist of approximately a hundred words (Little Pim can teach you 250 more in the foreign language of your choosing)
• Are not spoken
• Don’t underpin a society’s rich cultural history

These qualities that differentiate coding languages from foreign languages may seem unimportant to a decision about the proposed education bill, but they are actually the very reason we must say no to the bill!

1. Word Count

Learning the thousands of words of a foreign language requires the brain to become flexible and switch between vocabulary, grammatical structures, and accents. These skills developed to speak foreign languages are believed to be responsible for bilinguals and multi-linguals divergent thinking, or creativity. The fact that coding languages have significantly fewer words than foreign languages means the skills required to jump between languages, skills that translate to divergent thinking and improved creativity, are less developed. Why should you care? Coding is integral to a successful career in technology-related fields, but creativity is equally imperative in technological innovation. Steve Jobs may have been able to program Apple software, but he also needed the creative mind to come up with product ideas and marketing strategies. Without this creativity, he wouldn’t have been as successful. Thus, foreign languages, in cultivating creativity, are just as important in training people valuable to the tech space as coding classes. Moreover, creativity is appreciated in many other fields, too. Thus, to deprive children of foreign languages, effectively limiting their creativity, is detrimental to the US’ position among tech powers, like not having coding classes at all.

2. Spoken Word

Coding has become important, because our society is so technology dependent. Accordingly, many of us have grown more screen-facing than people-facing in our jobs and daily lives. Changing the foreign language requirement to permit coding in place of foreign languages only reinforces this screen-facing culture, which endangers the quality of our face-to-face interactions and children’s people skills. Tech companies might need coders to build products, but they need to know their consumer in order to create desirable products. Surveys and stats are only so telling of consumer response. Face-to-face interactions, where you can see body language and hear intonation can be far more informative. Thus, successful tech companies also require people-facing individuals. These people skills are acquired through conversation, like those had in foreign language classes. Once again, foreign language classes are as necessary in properly educating individuals to enter the tech space as coding.

3. Cultural Awareness

There is a horrible stigma surrounding Americans that we are culturally unaware and self-centered. With English as the language of business, we are rarely forced to accommodate others linguistically. This unaccommodating nature has leaked into our service industries, like tourism, and beyond, tainting our global image. Foreign languages force students to acquaint themselves with a different culture. The AP foreign language examinations offered to high school students who have taken the course test both language and cultural knowledge. Having taken AP French, I can say that the curriculum truly does touch on culture too. We read French literature, discussed historical events, learned of famous chefs and characteristically French dishes, compared the French educative system to the American one, and more. The class taught me a lot, but most importantly that language is merely a window into culture. With this in mind, coding keeps the curtain over that window, bolstering the negative perception of Americans’ cultural awareness. Furthermore, in a globalized economy, cultural awareness, achieved through foreign language classes, not coding, is more and more important to potential employers, including tech companies.

“…allowing coding to replace foreign languages may create more programmers, but runs the risk of letting those programmers be less creative, less congenial, and less culturally aware.”

The fact that coding languages have fewer words, aren’t spoken, and don’t lay the foundation for a society’s cultural background may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Yet, these aspects of coding entail that coding languages don’t heavily improve creativity, don’t better interpersonal skills, and don’t make coders more culturally aware. Foreign languages, unlike coding, enhance all of these qualities, which are desirable to tech employers and all employers, in fact. Therefore, allowing coding to replace foreign languages may create more programmers, but runs the risk of letting those programmers be less creative, less congenial, and less culturally aware.

“In trying to find a solution to the fact that America is behind other countries in the tech space, the proposed bill creates more problems in the form of less well-rounded graduates.”

Moreover, if the same amount of money is allocated to foreign languages while coding classes, which involve very expensive equipment, are included under that umbrella, even less money will go towards foreign language classes. With smaller budgets, foreign language classes will likely have higher student teacher ratios, potentially less enthusiastic teachers, and less immersive curricula. Studies, (like the one in the following article: https://www.thespec.com/news-story/7460958-a-way-to-teach-babies-second-language-if-parents-only-speak-one/), have shown there is a direct correlation between these qualities of foreign language classes and students’ mastery of the language. Effectively, passing the bill wouldn’t only result in less creative, less congenial, and less culturally aware programmers but also less creative, less congenial, and less culturally aware foreign language students, meaning all students suffer. In trying to find a solution to the fact that America is behind other countries in the tech space, the proposed bill creates more problems in the form of less well-rounded graduates.

Works Cited: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

jane-swift/make-language-

learning-a-priority_b_6801296.

html

https://www.mondo.com/foreign-

vs-coding-languages-in-

schools/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

zach-simon/can-learning-a-new-

langua_b_4998795.html